Computing systems typically are made up of several components. “Components” is intended herein in the broadest sense, and includes hardware (such as servers, network devices, and storage devices), software (such as application programs and operating systems) and middleware.
The operation of a computing system requires regular changes to be made to such components for a variety of reasons. There are many approval actors/parties involved in an approval process, and various different subsets of ‘approvers’ may be involved depending upon the change in question.
It is usually the case that approvals are sought from all affected parties before any changes is made to a computing system. Additionally, in complex computing systems involving a large number of components and user groups, unnecessary coordination may be required, leading to significant delays, wasted productivity and low customer satisfaction.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,938,081 (Mir, assigned to Level 3 Communications, Inc, issued Aug. 30, 2005) describes an approach where proposed changes to the infrastructure of a network are organized into different change categories based on the nature of the changes. The change category provides rules about who should be selected as affected entities, how the affected entities should be notified of the change, and the structure that should be utilized for organizing the change. A change plan is created and provided to affected entities for approval.
It would be beneficial for change approvals to be dynamically implemented, and reducing the number of approvers needed to simultaneously agree to the changes.